National banks

Long before she set out to reshape CIT Group, Ellen Alemany accepted her first job as a bank CEO — on the eve of the mortgage meltdown. A big lesson that has stuck with her since then is the importance of communicating clearly and constantly with employees.

Climbing the ladder at a large company can be daunting. At Bank of America, promising women and minority candidates are given personalized attention early on to give their careers a boost.

When Zions Bancorp. in Salt Lake City decided to consolidate its seven bank charters into one, executives knew they would have to work hard to retain their most talented employees amid all the disruption.

How do you restore profits after a banking scandal that victimized both customers and employees — without inflicting more pain on either side?

Duke, currently vice chairman, was rumored to be a likely contender for the chairman spot last week.